[quote]Investing some time (i.e. a year) in a less-than-ideal role that's at least in your field strikes me as a much better long-term investment[/quote]
Actually, I want to make something clear. I've been looking into doing this for months now.
I've been willing to work anywhere and for any amount of pay, so long as it's in the field of engineering. When I say I haven't had luck finding a job, I don't just mean I've applied to jobs that are specifically what I want to do. I've applied to jobs in so many industries, like construction and manufacturing to even web development and IT. I've applied to low-level maintenance and technician positions, in addition to engineering internships and CAD positions... among so many others.
And still, nothing.
So, that's really not a option. I'm afraid I may have to abandon the field of engineering in its entirety--that's something, I'm sure you can understand, that is rather heartbreaking for me.
I may be able to come back to engineering after a year or so of working an uneducated/unskilled blue-collar job. But I would still lack engineering experience in that case. I do not think I would be able to compete with new grads that had internships. Experience beats no experience, but relevant industry experience comes in above all else.
There's a lot more I could say, but I'd actually kind of rather not. So, I'll compromise and put the rambling in a spoiler tag.
I've thought about this a lot this week... and I know, in my heart, what I want to do. It may not be the smartest thing to do. It may not be the path most people take, for various reasons. But, I'm leaning towards following some advice I got many years ago, from people who knew me very well.
When I think about it, I've begun to realize something. I may have misunderstood what engineering jobs are actually like. I think--considering my personality--I've been bombing interviews for a very simple reason. I'm being myself, and in doing so, I'm making it very clear that I'm really not the ideal candidate. In fact, hiring someone like me could be a very costly mistake for a company. I don't have the experience to really be useful, and I would overthink any work I'm given that would allow me to obtain that experience.
Graduate school isn't for everyone, but it very well could be for someone like me. My goal for my career isn't to become a manager or to work my way up a corporate ladder. My goal is to become an expert in a very specialized field, and spend my day at a desk chipping away at problems no one else wants to deal with. It's very likely that a person like me needs a graduate degree to actually be useful to a company. And besides, working towards one would put me in a position to pursue internships, as well as part-time jobs that I would actually enjoy--like working as a TA, research assistant, or on-campus tutor.
Sure, call me crazy. But if you'd asked me if I wanted to go to grad school when I was 10 or 15 years old, I would've said yes. If you'd have asked me if I wanted to do research, I'd have said yes. It's an extra two years of my life without a real, professional job, but it opens up opportunities, and it's where I personally feel I would belong.
I'd have to be pretty serious about engineering to be considering this, and I would have to be pretty confident in my career path to that to think that it's worth it. But I am. I am both those things. Each day, I find myself hoping more and more that I can get into grad school. I find myself thinking more and more, that perhaps this job search struggle is actually a blessing in disguise.
Guys, I know there is truth to what you said. I will take this advice to heart, and I will get a part-time job regardless of whether or not I make it to grad school. I understand that adding more education to someone with the problem of all education and no experience isn't necessarily the best idea. But that's why I have to make it the best idea. Often, life isn't about choosing the best thing to do. It's about choosing a thing to do, and using what's available to make that the best of it. So, unless something changes between now and then, and unless I don't get accepted, grad school is what I'm going to do. And this time, I'm hell bent on getting it right.
Been a while since I let myself really relax.
